This invention relates generally to surgical sutures, more specifically to a surgical suture that reacts appropriately to laser energy so that the tension on the suture can be adjusted by the application of laser energy, as well as to a method of adjusting the same.
Surgical sutures are well known to the art. Generally, nylon or cat-gut sutures are used to close a surgical wound. For the most part, surgical sutures can be loosened or tightened by untying the knot, drawing the suture tighter, and then retying the knot. In some situations, the suture must be snipped and retied or the suture must be removed and replaced. In delicate surgeries, for example ophthalmological surgery, it is quite difficult to adjust the tension on a suture once it is in place. The sutures placed in the eye are particularly fine. Adjusting the tension on the suture by conventional methods is painstaking and time consuming and can result in discomfort and inconvenience for the patient.